


Pom Pom's and Crows

by LMorretti



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Gotham (TV), Original Work
Genre: Batman - Freeform, Edward Nygma - Freeform, F/M, GCU, Gotham, Gotham City University, Riddle Me This, Riddler - Freeform, Slow Burn, edward nashton - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMorretti/pseuds/LMorretti
Summary: Chapter one/Lydia just wants to study. Her ex has different ideas./
Relationships: RIddler/Lydia Morretti, Riddler/Original Character
Kudos: 1





	Pom Pom's and Crows

Rain pattered across the glass panes of the small dorm room. The occasional flashes of lightning that lit up the night skies of Gotham cast a quick sheen of light across the pastel pink walls. The flames from various lit candles scattered across the room flickered and danced idly about, their shadows in ominous contrast with the dorm room’s cute decor. Movie posters hung on the wall; one, featuring the great actor Basil Karlo overlooked her bed. Gotham University pennants, Kappa Cheer flyers, and old rosters were taped side by side as reminders of happier, less stressful times.  
A week’s worth of laundry, mostly cheer skirts and tops, lay scattered across the floor. An old pair of sneakers with the strings tied together were tossed over the door-knob. On the top of the cherrywood armoire was a picture of a raven-haired girl posed proudly with a pair of yellow and black pom-poms. Standing beside her with his arm around her was Carmine Falcone. Various bits and bobs were scattered around the photo: articles of jewelry, tickets to a fundraiser hosted by Bruce Wayne, hair ties, and an employee access key to the Iceberg Lounge.  
Soft vocalizing filled the room. The girl hummed along to ‘’It’s My Life’’ as it played on Radio 4 Gotham. She turned one page in her textbook, then another, only absorbing half the information.  
Resting on her stomach, a pale hand under her chin, the cheerleader resisted the urge to chew her nails out of boredom. Her ocean-blue eyes drifted over the pages of ‘’Advanced Research Methods in Psychology’’. Bored, her legs, swaying idly with her feet in the air as the radio played ‘’Send Me an Angel’’, she was unaware that someone had come in through the window.  
‘’Riddle me this!’’  
Lightning crashed as if to punctuate the words.  
The cheerleader flung her textbook across the room in the direction of the voice.  
‘’Hey! That’s my head!’’ a man’s voice cried out.  
‘’Eddie, you asshole!’’ She caught her breath, staring at the open windowpane he must have crawled in through. The fire escape was there...how unlucky for her and convenient for him. ‘’I’ll shoot you next time.’’  
‘’You didn’t let me finish…’’  
‘’I wasn’t planning on it.’’  
The Riddler stood in the middle of the small, messy dorm room, smirking at her. He was soaking wet from the rain and smelled of a sour mix of wet dog and cheap gin. He shifted his weight and his boots made a sloppy, squelching sound on the low-pile carpet. He noticed this and offered the girl a lopsided grin by way of acknowledgment. Getting drenched in the storm was probably the only thing close to a bath he’d had in the several days; his work consumed his life, and hygiene often went by the wayside.  
‘’Sorry about the mud, Lydia.’’  
Her sigh echoed through the room.  
It had occurred to her in the past that the way Eddie acted was not just mental illness but at least partly a result of the many beatdowns he’d taken from Batman and the inmates at Arkham. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had pity for this grungy man standing in her dorm room. He wasn’t at all the man she used to date. Edward Nashton was smart, clever, and had it together. Eddie Nygma was irrational, dangerous, and, at the risk of understatement, a bit insane. But even if the romance had been fleeting, she still cared for him. His khakis were paint-splattered, his leather gloves were worn, and he was wearing that stupid green button-up with hand-drawn question marks all over it. It stood out as the centerpiece of his outfit; she suspected he was trying to make it iconic.  
He needed those clothes washed. He needed a fucking shower.  
Lydia stood and pinched the bridge of her nose, her face scrunched up in frustration. She shook her head to dispel any thoughts of helping this loon. Her bobbed raven hair shimmied and glistened in the candlelight.  
Eddie only leaned back against the wall behind him. He was going to leave a wet print. He watched her with amusement as she fought with herself over what to do. ‘’You know, when I have a hard time solving a conundrum… although, I never do…”  
‘’Can it,’’ she snapped.  
‘’I’m simply trying to offer a solution.’’ He shrugged, his expression placid.  
‘’I can’t give you any more money if that’s what this is about.’’  
‘’Lydia!” He took on a wounded expression and pressed his hand to his heart. “-Why, I am shocked and horrified you would even think that I am only here for that!’’  
She stared back at him, unamused. Only. I have cheer practice tomorrow, and an early class.”  
‘’With Crane?’’ he smirked. She reddened and he clicked his tongue, knowing he had touched a spot.  
Lydia’s feathers were ruffled for only a moment. It was true, she did have a class with Dr. Jonathan Crane in the morning. It was her final year there at Gotham U and she was attempting to land an internship at Arkham Asylum. Her feelings for Crane had nothing to do with her ambitions, despite how often they could cloud her judgment. The Riddler knew this and would poke that sensitive spot whenever he could. Of course, it was out of jealousy. Lydia had dumped him the same day she first saw Dr. Crane on campus, a fact that he had not forgotten.  
‘’Yes, with Dr. Crane,’’ she spat. She turned her back on him, mindlessly fiddling with the notebook on her bed.  
The Riddler swallowed back a bitter remark. Perhaps later.  
‘’I was actually here on some business.’’ His voice took on a more sing-song tone, a habit that Lydia loathed. She rolled her eyes back towards him but said nothing.  
‘’I was hoping you could work your minxy little charms on Cobblepot to secure me some time on the docks? Just for a night.’’  
‘’No way. No fucking way,’’ she scoffed. ‘’I’m not your little errand girl, Eddie! If you want to use the docks, put on your big boy pants and ask Ozzie, yourself.’’  
‘’You work there! You are closer to him than anyone I know, other than Daddy.’’ He grinned nastily at his own mention of Carmine.  
‘Don’t bring my father into this!’’ Flames shot from Lydia’s eyes.  
There she is, he thought. The little spit-fire whose company he comes to enjoy. He’d waited to push that particular button, and it had paid off.  
The Riddler-- Eddie-- knew full well how Lydia felt about her adoptive father, one of the most respected and feared crime bosses in Gotham. He knew she despised him despite her cushy upbringing, that she had no desire to follow in his footsteps.  
The princess wanted to make a name for herself and overthrow Carmine one day. Gotham was her home, and it had a throne with her name on it.  
[little more about her reasoning here? Why does she agree to it just because he mentioned Carmine? Is she worried he’ll go to Carmine for help, which will put her at a disadvantage? Put a sentence or two about her thought process.]  
‘Ffuck. Fine. I’ll do it. It won’t be till Friday.’’ Lydia mumbled and sat back down on her bed. Her ghostly-white skin stood out against her black silk sheets. The oversized T-shirt hanging down past her knees made her look tinier by comparison. Everything in her life was in stark contrasts: sweet and sour, strong and soft, cheerleader and aspiring crime lord.  
‘’Great! So we’re agreed!’’ Riddler said, too gleefully for her liking. She could see his greasy wheels turning.  
‘’What is this for?’’ Lydia asked, raising a brow.  
‘’My latest work!’’  
‘’Oh fuck me…’’  
He beamed.  
‘’No. Absolutely not.’’  
He deflated.  
‘’I’m working on something great Lydia,” he pleaded. “Something that will finally defeat Batman. You wait and see. My greatest work yet!’’ His fist slammed into his open palm.  
Lydia wanted to sigh, she wanted to roll her eyes and make a cutting remark, but he was enthusiastic and oddly enchanting like this. Seeing him excited about something-anything, was nice. It was better than finding him drunk again or slumped over a desk and depressed. She swallowed hard.  
Poor Eddie.  
‘’It’s time to go Eddie…I need to sleep’’  
‘’Oh..right..right…’’ his triumphant smile faded softly as he turned for the window, leaving muddy boot prints in his wake. ‘’You didn’t see me.’’  
‘’Believe me, Eddie, you aren’t memorable’’ she said softly.  
The two locked eyes for a moment. The Riddler made a scoffing sound and Lydia remained expressionless, despite the feelings stirred up inside her.  
Then with a swoop, the enigmatic rogue vanished into the rainy night and Lydia finally allowed herself to take a breath.  
‘’Seeya later, Eddie…’’ she whispered.  
She shut the window as ‘’The Chain’’ by Fleetwood Mac began playing on Gotham 4 Radio.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> I'll post more chapters soon! <3


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